Renewal I: Winds of Change
by ZebulaNebula
Summary: JTK RomanceAdventureHumor, summary inside. PG13 to be safe.
1. New Start

Summary: Jacen and Tenel Ka head to Ansion several months after the events in TUF. Canon to TUF. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, locations, names, or situations in this other than those created for this story. I am doing this solely for the amusement of myself and other readers. I am making no profit on this.

* * *

Renewal: Book One

**Winds of Change**

By: ZebulaNebula

_Chapter One: New Start_

All the victory celebrations were over, and life was returning to at least some semblance of "Normal" for most of the citizens of the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. Nevermind that the central authority had changed capitals twice and constitutions once. The war with the Yuuzhan Vong had utterly devastated thousands of worlds and cost untold billions of lives. The denizens could not linger in the past. They must press on and build for themselves new lives.

And rebuild they did: all remaining shipyards and factories were well above prewar levels, and new facilities were opening daily. In eight standard months the shipyards at Sluis Van alone had produced two hundred thousand vessels of all types. And this was merely typical of the economic boom. It was the largest boom in _all recorded galactic history_

The biggest source of trouble were disputes over natural resources. And where there was trouble, as smoke marks fire, the Jedi were not far away.

* * *

"What is it that are we supposed to do on," Jacen Solo checked the name of his destination from the datapad in his left hand, "Ansion?" Curiosity played across his sepia gaze, "And why have Tenel Ka and I been selected for this mission?" 

"To answer your second question first, you've been selected because you're the only two available knights with both diplomatic and wilderness survival skills; both of which are critical on this mission." Mara Jade Skywalker told him matter-of-factly. "And your objectives are twofold: first untangle the mess between the Alwari and Kuat Drive Yards. Second, get your sorry butt out of the blue funk you've been in for the past four months!"

"Don't remind me," Jacen sighed, "Ten months out the airlock," he muttered.

Mara just about smacked him for talking back, but held herself back: her nephew was well beyond the age at which spanking ceased to be effective discipline. _If what the Vong did to him on Yuuzhan'tar didn't make him kriffing-near immune to pain to boot_ she thought to herself. But nothing could stop her from firing off a verbal barrage so blistering, that if said commentary were subject to broadcast profanity standards, the resulting clip would contain more frequent bleeps than a waste-retrieval speeder in reverse.

The tongue-lashing ended when Tenel Ka Djo returned to the impromptu briefing room. At which point Jacen's eyes lit up like glowpanels. The warrior-queen's silver gaze locked with his. They were snapped out of it by the sound of Mara whacking the blinds with the hilt of her lightsaber.

"I said 'if there are no further questions, you are dismissed.'" Mara waited for a silent count of five, assumed their silence implied a negative, and told them to get packing.


	2. Declaration

"Why do you suppose Aunt Mara briefed us seperately?" Jacen asked Tenel Ka after his as-yet-unnamed scout ship jumped to lightspeed. 

She smiled - still a rare thing, but not as rare as it once was - winked, and whispered "I suppose it had to do with her reluctance to use that 'Wet Floor' sign behind the desk."

"Cmon, I haven't drooled _that_ much since I was Ben's age," he replied and then burst out in laughter.

By the time a pinging on the console brought them out of the biggest laughing fit either of them had experienced in many months, Jacen was on the cocpit floor, and Tenel Ka almost halfway out of the gunnery seat. Jacen hauled himself back into the pilot's seat and swore.

"What is it" Tenel Ka asked, once again all business.

"Grav reading is in the yellow!" he grumbled, reaching for the reversion lever.

His hand never made it there. Tenel Ka grabbed it with her prosthetic, reaching across her body to reatrain his wrist with viselike force. "Do not! Let the cutoffs bring us in if need be. We are probably only skirting the edge of the field if we have not been Brought out already. There, it is dropping off."

She changed the topic to one she had thought much about of late, "Why do you pine over Danni? The perfect woman is within reach."

"What in the . . . " his voice trailed off as her words sunk in. "**Sithspit** How long have you . . . uh . . . felt for me?

"Since the day we met on Yavin"

"I never realized! For all these years I thought you were far above me." He grinned what the infamous Solo grin, "Better late than never" he muttered, then kissed her.

She returned it, fiercely, all the years of each thinking the other disinterested melted away like a warm spring day melts ice. _Stang_ she thought _his kisses are more intoxicating than **any** wine._

It was almost a full minute before they broke for air. "I love you" each said to the other in unison, and kissed again.

* * *

"I think we can safely log Objective 'B' as completed." Tenel Ka half-teased as Jacen emerged from the galley with dinner: nerf primerib.

_She's smiled and laughed more in the last six hours than in last six **years**_ Jacen mused, delighted. "That is a fact" he teased back as he placed the roast on the formally set table for two, and began to place pre-cut slices on their plates.

She giggled at his use of what she'd long since considered her catchphrase, and kissed his cheek. At that moment the ship's audio system came to life, seemingly on it's own - playing a very romantic orchestra piece. She started at the sudden sound, but the music, combined with his grin told her exactly what happened - he'd pushed the "play" button with the Force.

She recognized the piece, "Across the Stars" as being the pinnacle of late Old Republic romantic symphony. "Where did you pick up a taste for WylYams? Your mother?" She hazarded an educated guess.

He laughed and whispered "Both my parents," the grin on his face broadened, "Shall we dance? Don't worry about dinner, the table has sustainers in it."

"Of course, that would be enchanting." She breathed. He led her onto the impromptu dance floor of the main cargo hold. The electric pleasure of the physical contact topped their first passionate kiss, and from that moment, both knew their destiny lay together.

* * *

A/N: I've based much on the premise that Tenel Ka's "Ice Princess" attitude is a facade that is only let down in the presence of those she trusts implicitly. If she seems out of character, it is because she is "letting her hair down" so to speak. 


	3. Arrival

"Incoming comm call from Aunt Mara!" Jacen called back to Tenel Ka. 

"Answer it, I will be there shortly," she replied from the fresher.

He answered it,"Oh, hello Jacen, where's Tenel Ka?" Mara's image appeared on the comm.

The younger woman replied for herself, hair in a towel. "I _just_ got out of the shower!"

"Ah, I see. I called to give you a mission update: the light from a twenty-year old supernova will be reaching Ansion shortly. Chances are _someone_ will see it as a 'sign.' One that depending on who is 'divining' what, may either help or hurt you. It will occur at 03:57:44 standard time on the second of next month, along a heading of 029.0 mark 042.2. Need me to repeat any of that."

"No" Jacen replied and Tenel Ka shook her head.

"There has been escalation of the incident resulting in talks of secession, based on a loophole in a fifty-odd year old compromise. They want this resolved in under one standard month or they're leaving. Due to this you have been granted unusual breadth of discretion. You are authorized to take any actions necessary to solve this dispute, as long as it is not blatantly darkside."

"Understood" Jacen and Tenel Ka said in near perfect unison.

"How are matters on your end?" Mara asked with a smirk. It didn't take Jedi powers to know she had something other than her wrist-blaster up her sleeve.

Jacen decided to make his aunt waiting on "Objective B" "We hit a gravfield outbound, about half a million klicks past the last gas giant. It didn't drag us out, we were, however, in the yellow for thirty seconds at .04. I just thought I'd give you a heads up."

"Noted. Tenel Ka, how is Jacen's morale?"

"Much improved. We knocked that objective off our list the day before yesterday."

"How, may I ask, did you pull that off in under a month?" Mara knew full well the answer, but asked to conceal her hand in it.

Tenel Ka blushed, the first time anyone other than her parents had seen her do so. "I simply directed our conversation to the subject of his depression and proposed a viable solution."

"And that being . . . ?" It was now obvious that Mara was leading the conversation.

Neither of the new couple was in a mood to play "hidey-guessey" with the ex-assassin, so Tenel Ka simply kissed Jacen senseless in full view of the holocomm.

"You behaved yourselves, right?" Mara's question brought them back to reality.

Jacen shot back "Who do you think I am, my father?"

"I am just making sure you didn't inherit his tendency to jump the gun."

"I am **_NOT_** the loose zipper he was at my age!"

"Once you two lovebirds finalize your wedding plans, transmit them here, so we can have it all ready for you upon your return."

"Just for that remark," Tenel Ka returned "We are going to elope!" She kissed her beloved again for emphasis.

"Either way I am sending a pair of apprentices your way for both support and chaperone purposes. They should be there within twelve hours. Jade-Skywalker out" With that remark Mara cut the comm.

Jacen kissed Tenel Ka again, and asked, "Any way that new prosthetic arm can take new equipment after it's been fitted for three months?"

"Yes, why?" He showed her the sketches he'd created of an engagement ring built directly into the already tricked out mechanical left arm. Seeing this, she whispered, "I counted on you trying that. I arrainged for a slot to be open for such a piece."

"Will you accept?"

"Yes!" She kissed him again, desperately. It was interrupted by the comm crackling to life.

"Ansion traffic control hailing unnamed Corellian YT-2200SC, you are cleared for Cuipernam spaceport, pad thirty-eight." A nondescript masculine voice stated.

"Acknowledged, traffic control, beginning descent now." Tenel Ka was back to business on the comm, but upon flicking it off, she kissed Jacen again, who muttered something about bad timing.

* * *

Upon landing, the pair set about subtly gathering information about the local area, its inhabitants, and especially the Alwari sacred site with the massive ore deposits underneath. Kuat Drive Yards wanted to mine the minerals - essential for the construction of starship hyperdrive motivators - and the Alwari would not let them within two klicks of the ancient burial ground. In response, KDY threatened to use military force to access the valuable resource. Which brought the entire population of Ansion to the support of the Alwari, threatening to scecede from the GFFA if KDY security forces landed. 

"Why, oh why, does the biggest lode of the strategic resource idu jour/i always ihave/i to be underneath someone's holy ground?" Jacen mused, thinking aloud. They'd been on-planet attempting to devise a plan of action at that point, with little headway.

"Every mineral has the potential to be economically significant, Jacen, and there has to be something under sacred sites." Tenel Ka stated, slightly bemused. "Even something like uranium."

"Uranium!" Jacen gasped, "That kriff is downright dangerous! Who in space uses that?"

"The Ssi-ruuk, among many others use it for nuclear fission, not that we'd reccomend such action."

"_**FISSION**_" Jacen was shocked enough to shout, something he seldom did "How do they live, with the risk of meltdowns and . . . and . . . "he sputtered, aghast.

"I do not know" Tenel Ka conceded. "But they do." She was hoping for a way to distract him from the topic she had unwittingly brought up.

It came sooner than expected, Valin Horn and Malinza Thanas walked up, grinning. "Hi guys" Malinza said, Valin echoing her half a second behind her.

_I should've known_ Jacen thought, cooling down _Mara sent my sister's apprentices._ He greeted them warmly and he and Tenel Ka began to brief them on the rapidly changing situation.

"Leave the meeting with the Unity tomorrow to the experts, boys. Us ladies have everything under control." The young Bakuran woman gave a mischevious grin, fished a datapad out of her purse, "Jaina sent this for you Jacen, eyes only."

The message on the screen simply said "Took you two long enough!"

* * *

A/N: I had to include the offspring of two memorable Force-sensitives in this. I assumed Gaeri was Force-sensitive, but her religion prevented her training. Text in Truce At Bakura supports this(Luke's first encounter with the young Senator mentioned her peculiar Force presence). 


	4. Diplomatic Solutions?

"KDY has violated five treaties I know of off the top of my head," Tenel Ka proceeded to name them, "Sacred and Historic Sites Preservation Act; Alderaan Summit on Interspecies Trade; Theeds Convention on the Proper Role of Corporate Security; The Caamas Pact; and the Third Chandrila Accord."

Malinza chimed in with new information from Ansion's Government Library. "Don't forget the Kenobi Compromise and the Solo-Halcyon Agreement."

Hearing his own surname, and the other familiar names in such context caught Jacen off-guard. "What!"

Valin, who had assisted Malinza in her searches, elaborated, "Kieran Solo, King of Corelia and ambassador of the Old Republic and Master Thracken Halcyon, also of Corellia, negotiated a pact between the urbanites and the Alwari. It limited urban sprawl and development to fifteen percent above the size the cities were at the time. It was modified by the Kenobi Compromise fifty years ago, brokered by Obi-wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Luminara Unduli, and Barriss Offee, to allowed joint 'green' use of half of the Alwari lands. The Valley of Kings was to remain untouched under both agreements."

Tenel Ka was intrigued by the familiar names, especially the ambassador. "Kieran Solo, Does that name sound familiar Jacen?"

"No, Dad never talked about his family, period. We figured it was a sore subject." Jacen took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. His mind was reeling, some mental pictures distorting, others crystallizing. "But if he was royalty, I can see why he'd do what he did."

"What is wrong with royalty, my love?" Tenel Ka smiled subtly.

"I said I understood, not that I agreed!" Jacen quipped lovinly.

"Good." Tenel Ka winked and kissed him.

"Find a kriffing hotel room" Valin muttered under his breath.

"I second the motion" Malinza agreed, softly.

Jacen heard them, and, upon releasing the kiss, came back with, "What's this?" he gestured to their surroundings "A sardine can?"

Tenel Ka brought the group back on task. "With thirteen violations under seven treaties, five of them interstellar and well established, Kuat Drive yards is likely to be disbanded, and their facilities nationalized by the Alliance." She paused to sip her caf, "Any four of the violations would be grounds for such repurcussions."

"They knew this would happen when they landed that dropship yesterday evening" Valin pointed out, sipping caf intermittently, "We saw it leave orbit as we came in."

Jacen stroked his newly-grown goatee in consternation, "This makes no sense, If they knew what was going to happen, why did they proceed. It's kriffing irregular!"

Tenel Ka spoke up as something clicked mentally, "But what if this is only the surface of something larger, more sinister."

Malinza almost jumped out of the bland gray armchair, "Bingo! If some person or group were using KDY to achieve their aims, it makes sense!"

"Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it" Jacen quoted.

"Coming from someone who first did something worthy of inclusion in a recent Galactic History book at age nine!" Tenel Ka said, her voice dry, her eyes teasing.

"Hey, Jaina and . . . Anakin were mentioned in that too." He faltered when he mentioned his dead brother.

"So the great Jacen Solo _is_ only human." Valin joked.

"Did you grow that silly goatee to avoid the press, oh mister living legend?" Malinza joined in.

"My brother-in-law said I'd look good with a goatee" Jacen shot back.

"You took fashion advice from _Jag Fel!_" Valin returned.

Tenel Ka kissed Jacen, saying "I think it makes him look manly." She figured if she couldn't relax in the presence of the love of her life and those select few he trusted with his life, then she could never relax.

Valin checked his chrono for the umpteenth time that morning, as he was in charge of keeping the group on schedule. It read 11:30. "Sithspit, we need to be at the meeting with the Unity in thirty standard minutes! Let's roll!"

* * *

They arrived just as the bell tower struck twelve hundred hours. They took their seats while straightening their formal attire. All four eyed the tray of refreshments with relish, but waited until preliminaries were taken care of before letting their appetites take control. 

The council head, an ancient Ansionian with the bearing of an old veteran by the name of Bulgan, introduced himself and then the rest of the council, who were apparently content to let their leader speak while they did their best to stay comfortable in the fourty-degree plus summer heat. A nearly equal split of humans and Ansionians, some who wore robes identifying themselves as Alwari tribesmen of varying clans, it seemed like varying factions had elected members to the council and selected from among themselves a leader. _simple, yet effective_ thought Jacen.

Bulgan straight out told them that if KDY wasn't off Ansion by the nineteenth of the next month, they were leaving. Jacen saw it pained the councilman that it had come to this, but was doing his unpleasant duty irregardless.

Tenel Ka spoke up, "Then we shall make them leave, by force if need be!"

Bulgan considered this and then spoke. "I have much faith that the Jedi are more than capable in this. I have worked with them before. But if negotiations fail, you will need the consent of the Borokii Overclan. They are guardians for the Valley of Kings. "

Malinza asked, "Where are the Borokii to be found?"

"Deep in the wilds, far from the cities. It is likely to be a week's ride on Suubatars to reach them."

"We have a starship, why not use that?" Valin queried, perplexed.

"You could, but the Borokii and many other Alwari clans frown on advanced technology, preferring tradition. You will gain more respect if you arrive riding suubatars. To this end we will supply each of you with a mount. These are descendants of the mounts used by the Jedi fifty-three years ago. Technically they are property of the Jedi Order, for your use on-planet, as per the orders of Obi-Wan Kenobi. We will also provide you with guides for your journey."

"Great," Jacen exclaimed, "When will we recieve this assistance?"

"Tomorrow, you are still planning on contacting KDY officials tonight, are you not? And now we shall dine."

* * *

A/N: The OR ambassadors Halcyon and Solo were my creation, Thracken Halcyon is the father of Kieran Halcyon. The great knight named his firstborn after his King and friend. Ambassador Halcyon's given name was a randomly selected Corellian first name, no connection (At this time) to Thracken Sal-Solo. 


	5. Aggressive Negotiations

"Do you know how many treaties you're breaking?" Malinza barked into the comm at the KDY official who had received the unfortunate duty of speaking to the sharp-tongued Bakuran. Malinza had volunteered to negotiate out of tactical reasons: her Jedi powers were not common knowledge, and KDY personnel expecting Jedi would prepare for Jedi with extra nasties at the site when it came to battle. All four team members knew that even pressed with 'Celebrity' negotiators, KDY would not back down.

These 'negotiations' were a mere formality, a last chance that KDY wouldn't take. The bureaucrat on the screen, as close to toadlike as a human could be, put as much snake-tongue oil as he could into his reply, "But madam, Kuat Drive Yards has broken no treaties in this . . . "

He did not finish his statement, as Malinza interrupted him, "Wrong answer! Try more like seven!" She scowled, darkly, while rattling off each violated treaty like a drumbeat. "If you withdraw from this system by local dawn at Cuipernam, I will forgive these charges.

The desk jockey shot back, "We will not withdraw! This is blackmail!" He trembled in rage, double chin jiggling.

"So be it! We will forcibly evict you if you aren't gone by sunup. And you can probably kiss your corporate charter goodbye!" With that last remark, she turned the comm off.

Valin shrugged, "We knew they weren't going to roll over. cool down." He put his arm around Malinza's shoulders, to sooth her nerves.

Jacen sipped his beverage, it was still too hot to be drinking caf, and too late to boot, and sighed. "That was an adventure in itself. I haven't seen that kind of aggression outside of the Yuuzhan Vong, or the occasional Bothan."

"That bigwig was probably put on because of his temper, my love." Tenel Ka commented.

Jacen almost snorted fruit-flavored soft drink out his nose at Tenel Ka's term for the KDY bureaucrat. "Did you just call Assistant Director Ficus a 'bigwig'?" he teased, lovingly.

"Yes, I called him a 'bigwig' because he is one. He has the temperament of a Piranha Beetle and the intelligence of a potted plant." She was clearly joking - in her deadpan haha-only-serious way - and prepared for Jacen's inevitable response.

He did not disappoint, fruit punch came squirting out his nose, showering the chair she had been in a fraction of a second before with blue fluid. Through his laughter he apologized, "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. Did I get any on you?"

"It's all right, you missed completely." Indeed not a touch of blue berry-flavored liquid had touched her gray jumpsuit.

"Let's get some dinner at that cafe that smelled so good this afternoon, the one by the antique shop." Valin suggested, his stomach rumbling.

Malinza agreed, kissing her fellow apprentice.

Tenel Ka smiled at Jacen, sharing a private joke, "Are they chaperoning us, or are we chaperoning them?"

Jacen grinned ear-to-ear, "Both." _Malinza Thanas and Valin Horn are a couple, who'd have thought? They argued all the time at first, but then, so did Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara, and they've been married ten years with one child and another on the way.

* * *

_

"When I knew your grandfather, he seemed nice enough, once you got past all the cockiness and impatience. It was a shock to me when he fell. I'd thought he'd outgrow the know-it-all attitude in time, and become a model Jedi." Bulgan responded to Jacen's more-than-casual inquiry, voice far away.

"I wonder what made him become that monster everyone knew him as?" Jacen asked, intrigued.

"I don't know, but it must have been sheer hell." The alien's large eyes stared contemplatively towards the western horizon as he responded quietly, thoughts distant.

"Do you have any idea who my grandmother was?" The young knight's eyes shone with unadulterated curiosity.

"I think he said a woman's name in his sleep once or twice. Padme, or something to that effect, it's been so long, I can't remember for sure . . . " The councilman's voice trailed off, then a flicker of uncertainty played across his gaze. "I thought Jedi weren't supposed to marry."

"My uncle threw that rule out the window upon rebuilding the order. It's pretty hard to get members for a celibate order, and he wanted to rebuild quickly. He made many changes that, without them, we would have only made about a quarter of the progress we have in rebuilding." Jacen explained, the topic more than academic for him.

"What about the knights of old who had kids? There were more than a few." The elder was clearly confused.

"Just because people make rules, it doesn't mean everyone will follow them. Some hid their relationships from the galaxy-at-large, others simply flaunted the rules. Most of the latter were the Corellian knights, who were let slide for one reason or another." Jacen laughed, "Picked their battles, I suppose."

"And how many Jedi now are married?"

"Most of them, and most of the ones that aren't will be getting married soon." Jacen thought of Tenel Ka, who was personally organizing and sorting supplies based on priority. She'd sent Jacen to inspect the mounts.

"Are you married, Jedi Solo?"

"Not yet." Jacen laughed; Bulgan had hit on what was running through his head. His train of thought derailed upon reaching the stable where the suubatars were kept. _Wow! I thought I'd never see such magnificent creatures!_

Bulgan saw Jacen's eyes bug out almost as much as an Ansionian's. "Fastest land animals in the galaxy, they can outrun most low altitude repulsorcraft."

Jacen let out a low whistle. "What are the names of these fine animals? Or don't these mounts have names yet?"

"The one nearest us is Brego, the one near the door is Freya, and the two in the back are Thane and Skrilka."

"How much weight can they carry? I know they're not draft beasts and I'd hate to harm them, but we could use all the supplies we can get."

"The Alwari use suubatars for extended cavalry actions frequently. Typically we say no more than five hundred kilos between rider and supplies as a general rule of thumb."

_Amazing_ Jacen thought, _we can carry all of our supplies with forty kilos per mount to spare!

* * *

_


	6. Departure

"Are we good to go? All riders report." Tenel Ka, in her 'battle queen' mode, confirmed that everything was ready to roll.

"I'm good to go" Malinza replied, unafraid.

"All green here" Valin chimed in, wishing himself in a starfighter cockpit rather than a saddle.

Jacen winked at the feisty redhead. "Ready as I'll ever be, my love." This was her arena. Queen of sixty-three worlds or no, Tenel Ka was first and foremost a warrior. _That's why she spends all of her vacations with the Jedi, rather than at some spa_ Jacen mused, grateful for her mere existence.

"All right, let's move!" Tenel Ka spurred her mount into a slow walk towards the gate. As the rest of the group followed suit, a local student band played the anthem of the Alliance as a departure fanfare. All four riders were touched as they quickly transversed to the gates.

Upon reaching the massive portal, the mounts broke into a brisk trot, the six-legged gait and sheer speed unnerving Valin and Malinza slightly. They exchanged worried glances, which Jacen saw. "They're just warming up." His mischievous grin plainly told everyone he knew something they didn't about the mounts.

Tenel Ka was clearly intrigued, "How do you . . . never mind." Moments after she begun the question, the answer crystallized in her mind. Jacen's connection with nature was unusually strong, even for a Jedi.

Meanwhile, Valin, usually fanatic about raw zoom-power like most Corellians, was getting a little worried. "Warming up? We're already pushing NINETY!"

"You haven't seen anything yet! _Elup!_" With that the speed of the mounts nearly doubled. Riding four abreast at one hundred seventy kilometers per hour, the immense windmills surrounding the city looked like bizarre fence posts to the four Jedi.

Tenel Ka's long red tresses flew behind her like the tail of a fiery comet. "This is incredible! Will we rapidly fatigue the mounts at this speed?"

"No. You like to run after being cooped up too." Jacen called back. "And you know it."

* * *

They made camp on the banks of a meandering river just as the system's primary seemed to kiss the crystal stream. Tenel Ka built a small fire, upset that she might need to create a campfire rotation, each of the others wanted to light it. She told them to unpack the bedrolls and draw water for the suubatars. 

Malinza produced two devices, each the size of a small melon out of her saddlebags. "Repulsor couches," she explained with a grin, as she set them near the fire and flipped a small switch on the bottom of the units.

A slight aqua glow poured out of the base as it began to emit a muted whine. "Have a seat, milady." Malinza gestured to the unit nearest the Hapan, "Just stay where the ground is blue-ish, lest you get a surprise."

"Thank you, Malinza." As the warrior queen lowered herself carefully onto the repulsorfield, she noticed how comfortable the unit was.

The men returned and saw their respective lady-loves seemingly sitting on air, and sat down beside them.

At least Jacen did. Valin landed butt-first on the grass. Malinza pulled her boyfriend up while trying to stop laughing and explain to him that the light show wasn't _just_ for pretty.

Valin changed the subject off of his now-green pant seat - to the first thing that crossed his mind . "Your Highness, if you're here, who's in charge on Hapes?"

_Here we go again_ thought Jacen, _my whole family's biggest embarrassment_

"My apprentice is steward while I am vacationing." The Queen replied, bemused.

"Who is this most-trusted apprentice, to whom you would grant command of sixty three worlds?" Malinza inquired, intrigued.

_Shavit! Shavit! Shavit!_ Jacen cursed inwardly, _Why, oh, why did this kriff happen in the first place_

"A former politician who focused more on her career than on her training and her family combined. She was placed with a Master a generation her junior to motivate her into completing what should have been completed twenty years ago." Tenel Ka winked subtly to Jacen, who scowled. _A touchy subject_ she thought.

Both Malinza and Valin knew exactly who this was by the time Her Royal Highness finished explaining, and the Queen's wink would have confirmed it if they hadn't got the hint by then. Out of sympathy for Jacen, they dropped it.

Jacen and Tenel Ka cuddled quietly while Valin and Malinza broke out kebab skewers, sausages, and marshmallows. _Proper campfire food_ Jacen mused.

"Indeed, marshmallows and sausages are ideal for this," Tenel Ka whispered.

_/Are you reading my mind, love/_ Jacen was startled and overjoyed simultaneously.

_/Yes, my love_ Tenel Ka mindlinked back, _/Our minds kiss/_

_/Then let our lips do the same/_ Jacen replied mentally and kissed her, passionately.

Meanwhile, Valin's voice rang out, "Kriff, kriff, kriff, kriff, kriff, kriff, KRIFF!" His sausage was burning like it had been soaked in rocket fuel and lit with a plasma torch.

"Toss it in the river and start over, unless you want an ash sandwich!" Malinza was not happy to have a star jockey whipping a burning wiener around her. Not that she wanted to subject any fish in the river to Valin's cooking, but it was either that or burn vast expanses of prairie.

It flew off the skewer, and with a little Force-nudge from Jacen, hit the water's surface with a splash and a sizzle. "Men! Can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em!" Malinza griped under her breath.

Jacen Force-pulled his and Tenel Ka's bedrolls to their repulsorcouch, _/Separate but adjacent, my love/_

_/Of course, beloved. I would not have it otherwise, my love./_

_/We shall sleep under a blanket of stars, upon a bed made of wind, my love/

* * *

_


	7. The dream and the Sword

_One Force-spirit on your dreams means something big is happening, two means you most likely aren't gonna like it._ Jacen was downright worried when the ghosts of both Vergere and Anakin appeared upon falling asleep. _Best to see what the kriff they're after._ /_What am I to be doing that I'm not?_/

Vergere 'spoke' first, _Your Royal Highness, on the banks of the river where you have made camp, is your birthright and proof of your Royal birth._/

Jacen was floored upon being addressed as royalty. /_Me? Royalty? Is this your idea of a joke?_/

Anakin 'replied' with eighty-percent seriousness/_Brother, you don't know how serious we are. Do not falter in this. Didn't you know we were heir to the throne of Corellia? Lusankya, sword of kings is fifteen meters from where you and Tenel Ka are sleeping, you lucky skunk._/ The phantom's visage softened near the end of his 'statement.'

Jacen mentally sighed, _Great, my dead brother is ribbing me from beyond the grave over my choice of women._ /_Once I hold the sword, what is my task?_/ He used more formal tones, though he did not know why.

Vergere 'said,' /_Choose and act. Fulfill the destiny you were born into. That I tutored you for. Bring the line of kings out of the shadow, admit your heritage, unlike your father before you. Rebuild the dynasty that shall bind the Alliance deeper than a piece of flimsy. You shall be a great king._/

_For once, Vergere gave me a straight answer. Is this that important?_ Jacen knew Vergere didn't give information unless it was encrypted in a riddle, save in dire cases.

/_Go, my brother_/ Anakin 'told' Jacen/_Fulfill your destiny./_ The specter's features softened further/_And give my regards to everyone back home_/

* * *

"Jacen, my love, what is wrong? You do not seem yourself this morning." Tenel Ka's voice betrayed the fact that she had only been awake for ten minutes.

He whispered back, from the water's edge "I had a vision last night, I'll explain when I've found what I'm looking for . . . Bingo!" His voice increased by thirty decibels as he found what he was looking for, and pulled it, dripping and covered with aquatic plants, from the shallow water. "The long lost Sword of Kings, Lusankya!" He exclaimed as he pulled the weeds off of the Mandalorian iron blade and scabbard and drew the legendary weapon.

"You're . . . not joking!" Tenel Ka gasped as the weeds revealed a hand-and-a-half sword with a blade a full meter long, and intricate scrollwork and gem work covering parts of the blade and most of the hilt. Peculiar was a ring of small blue gems ringing the base of the blade, along with a Nova Ruby on the center of the crossbar. This blade was famous enough to have thirty-eight warships, including a Super Star Destroyer named after it. "Why would you be told the location of Lusankya in a dream . . . if you weren't heir to the Corellian throne?" _The Force is with me, the one man I could ever love, the one I would never make a slave, is heir to the only bloodline the Hapan throne acknowledges an honor-debt to._

Jacen examined the Nova Ruby, as if trying to remember something, and pushed it in. A snap-hiss akin to that of a lightsaber, but higher in pitch, sounded, as the blade became sheathed in a sapphire glow. "As the scholars thought, a lightblade, a variant of Lightsaber for Force-using royalty." He tapped the Nova Ruby again and the blue aura vanished.

"Vergere and Anakin appeared in my dreams last night and told me to accept my birthright," he held up the sword, "And my destiny as heir to the Corellian crown."

"I see," Tenel Ka replied, beaming, "I always knew you were prince of more than my heart." She kissed him again, and whispered, "Let's wake Valin and Malinza and tell them."

* * *


	8. The Guide

"What time is our guide supposed to meet us here?" Malinza asked, sick of waiting.

"Fifteen hundred hours," Jacen answered, "And before you ask, it's eleven-thirty-eight hours now. Be patient, the extra time was a buffer in case one party made really bad time."

Without warning, Tenel Ka began a thirty second countdown, which Valin and Malinza joined in, while Jacen just turned beet red. "Five, . . . four, . . . three, . . . two, . . . one, . . . Happy birthday Jacen!"

"Great, you had to tell everyone here that I turn twenty-two today, _and_ had to compute it down to the second and convert from standard time." Jacen half-teased.

"Why, I was being precise?" Tenel Ka also looked as if she was subtly teasing him.

"Sometimes too much precision is unwanted."

Meanwhile, Valin deliberately caught a marshmallow on fire and asked Jacen to blow out the 'candle.'

"I'm not going to try to blow that thing out, not after last night's sausage pyrotechnic display."

"Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?" Malinza asked. 

"Because I knew someone would try something like this. Besides, you knew Jaina's birthday was today, and knew she was my twin, so I thought you'd figure it out."

"She didn't tell us either." Valin replied.

"Probably because she knew you'd try something like this."

/_What's wrong with a party, my love?_/ Tenel Ka asked via mindlink. 

/_Nothing, as long as we aren't on a mission!_/

/_When do we tell them about the birthday present from the Force?_/

/_You mean Lusankya? I'm playing that by ear._/

/_I see._/ Tenel Ka smiled the small smile she considered her 'public smile' and kissed him lightly/_I love you!_/

/_I know,_/ Jacen grinned/_I love you too!_/

/_Happy Birthday, my love._/

Jacen was about to reply when Valin and Malinza began to deliberately sing off key, "Happy birthday to you/ You live in a zoo/ You look like a wampa/ and you smell like one too." 

The party had pretty much wound down after an hour, at which point Valin had proved that he was the only member of the group incapable of carrying a tune. After they had cooled down, Jacen had explained his ancestry and shown them the Sword of Kings.

"Here comes our guide!" Tenel Ka stated, emotional shields going up in a blink of an eye.

"About kriffin' time!" Malinza sighed.

Bulgan had spoken very highly of their guide, Butch Kohl. A human who knew the prairies as well as most Alwari, he would guide the four Jedi to the Borokii. 

Butch rode up and dismounted, all two meters of him. Dressed completely in animal skins, sporting a scraggly black beard and a holstered slugthrower on each hip.

"Glad this barve's on our side," Valin muttered under his breath, "He looks like he could break a Trandoshan in half."

As Butch introduced himself in his very gravelly Wild Space accent, Jacen scanned the newcomer with the Force.

To his surprise, it was as if the guide wasn't there. /_Red Alert, everybody, This barve's a Vong in a Masquer!_/


	9. False Assumptions

/_I'll handle this._/Jacen mindlinked to the group/_If I go silent in the Force briefly, do not be alarmed. I will explain when this is over._/ He did not wait for a reply as he shifted his attention from the Force to his Vongsense and immediately began to probe the intruder's mind, starting with surface emotions, ready for action, but not wishing avoidable violence. He expected hostility, and was surprised when he found none. Instead, he found the ever-present vigilance to duty, and . . . _confusion? Why would this agent be confused? Well, it seems that the situation calls for words and not hostility,_ Jacen reflected, relieved, as he switched his concentration back into the Force.

Valin spoke first, "Well, what is going on?"

Jacen replied, again via mindlink/_Our infiltrator is not hostile towards us, so I will ask him what he's really up to._/

/_My love, is this not unnecessarily dangerous? His hostility could flare up with such a confrontation._/ Tenel Ka's mental response showed some unease.

/_I'd like to think the treaties the Vong signed with the Alliance are worth more than the paper they were written on._/ His mental tone began to show his Corellian side/_besides, worst case scenario, we have quite a few advantages._

By this time, "Butch's" confusion was growing exponentially, "Are you just gonna stand there all day, looking at each other, or are we gonna move?"

"We'll be ready shortly," Jacen answered, picking a likely rank for this warrior to be holding, "Subaltern."

He'd hit the proverbial nail on the head, and questions came a mile-a-minute "How do you know my rank? How did you pierce my cover? Has my mission been compromised?"

"I did not know your rank, I merely made an educated guess. As for your cover, Jedi can sense a Yuuzhan Vong operative with little trouble, but only through our use of the Force, so whatever your mission is, it's unlikely to be compromised." Jacen replied honestly, but phrased it such that the operative would think them neither weak, nor a threat. "Your turn, who are you really? What is your mission? Why were you here in the first place?"

"I am Subaltern Czuul Rapuung, and I am to assist the Jedi in your conflict with Kuat Drive Yards. I was placed here fifteen years ago to gather information, and carry out special missions when needed."

"I'm Jacen Solo, beastmaster and healer; the red-haired lady on my right is Tenel Ka Djo, our leader and weapons expert; the short guy is Valin Horn, IT specialist and handyman; Malinza Thanas, the woman holding his hand is our tactical advisor among other duties." Jacen introduced his group to their guide, each bowing slightly in respect.

"Are we ready to depart?" Czuul asked, getting back into the persona of Butch Kohl.

"We've been ready for hours." Malinza replied, impatient.

* * *

"What's that noise?" A sound rather like ten million distant window fans moving ever closer seemed to slowly build to ominous levels over the space of five minutes, and Malinza did not like it one bit.

Their guide replied, "Kyren!" His voice implied that he liked the situation even less.

"What are Kyren?" Jacen was intrigued with any new animal type, especially the more dangerous ones.

"Birds, each twice the size of a sparkbee, traveling in flocks of hundreds of millions, eating everything in their path. We're dead-center in their annual migration route, without cover for thirty kilometers." Czuul seemed defeated by their predicament.

"So, what, are we about to get a major dose of TRD from a bunch of _birds_?" Valin growled, defiant.

"Are we Jedi, or not? If escape is not possible, let us meet them head-on." The warrior inside Tenel Ka awoke, ready for anything.

"No flock of Kyren has ever been deliberately diverted." Czuul replied, "This is an exercise in futility."

"There is a first time for everything." Jacen seemed confident that the flock could be deflected around them.

"Never underestimate the impossible," Valin quoted, well aware of his father pulling victory from the jaws of defeat and using it to whack defeat upside the head.

"Group all mounts as close as possible, and remain in the saddle. We need to make as small of a profile as possible." Tenel Ka ordered, a plan galvanizing in her mind.

As they grouped up, both she and Jacen closed their eyes in concentration. /_Are you ready, my love,_/ she asked in the mindlink.

/_Ready as I'll ever be, dearest._/ His reply sent with it both confidence and tenderness.

Tenel Ka created a shimmering wall of Force energy that would cause anything that touched it to slide along it to the rear of the field, like a greased sled along snow.

Within seconds, the flock was upon them, but it split _before_ encountering the shield. Jacen was convincing it to break hard to either side of the sparkling translucent barrier! Only a handful touched the yellow bubble, and slid as if they'd hit deck plating recently polished with butter.

After fifteen minutes that felt like fifteen years, the flock ended as abruptly as it had arrived.

Czuul spoke first, "Beastmaster, indeed. Even the wild animals heed your command."


	10. Shattered Illusions

"Jacen, would you check up on our guide, he's been out of camp for an hour now." Tenel Ka requested/_Make sure he is behaving himself, my love._/ she added via mindlink.

"I'm sure he's quite capable of handling himself, but okay," His reply filled with warmth and humor, he winked. /_I love you,_/ he added.

When Jacen arrived, Czuul was gazing across the prairie, his gaze reminding Jacen of when Anakin discovered there wasn't a Fete Elf. Jacen again winced at the memory of his brother, who gave his life that many might live. _A disillusioned Yuuzhan Vong, what next?_ "Contemplating the stars?" Jacen asked softly, trying to discover what was indeed going on, curious but not urgently so.

"Everything I've been told is a lie." Czuul whispered to himself, so lost in thought as to be oblivious to Jacen's presence. "What then is true?"

"It's never easy to realize that ideas you've held dear aren't true." Jacen, for the first time, sympathized with a Yuuzhan Vong warrior. _Ah, a fellow philosopher_ Jacen mused. "We must each then search for truth."

Czuul, his reverie disturbed, whirled, pearlescent pistol in hand. "Oh, it is just you. _Belek tiu._ You have questioned what you have held dear, as well?" He put the mother-of-pearl covered Yorik-Coral projectile weapon back in its leather holster, and turned to face the man said by many of his people to be the avatar of Yun Yammka, the Slayer.

"I have questioned everything I have been told; that which is true will bear all scrutiny. Only your own existence cannot be doubted." Jacen replied, paraphrasing a great philosopher, long dead, whom he held in high regard. "What wisdom are you seeking?"

"My people's gods are nothing more than stories created to cow my people into submission. What wisdom for this do you have, Master Jedi?" Czuul had been caught unawares by Jacen's approach, and could not respectfully back out; besides it would cost him nothing to hear what this former enemy much like himself might say. _One is best appraised by one's foes_ Czuul reflected.

"Just because the faith you were taught was a lie, does not mean all faiths is false. I have seen many things that indicate that there might be something above even the Force. What it is, I know not, but the truth is out there. Give faith a fighting chance." Jacen explained, and decided to quote Master Kenobi, "Many of the truths we cling to are true only from a certain point of view."

"What about death, if it is not a Blessed Release as I was told, then what? Will I not be reunited with the brothers on the other side?" Czuul thought of his older brother, Vua and younger brother Hul, both killed in the invasion, Vua at Yavin under mysterious circumstances, Hul at Myrkr in a dying Jedi's last stand.

"I, too, lost a brother in the war, as well as more than one close friend. I know that the spirit endures beyond the grave, as I have been visited many times by ghosts of the dead. What it is like I do not know, as never having died, and never having asked a any of the phantoms I have seen." Jacen had winced at the word "brother." _Maybe this will help me finally make peace with Anakin's sacrifice._ Jacen sadly shook his head, _Now I'm thinking like them._

"This is not all there is, then?" Czuul replied, his mind eased somewhat.

* * *

An hour later, Jacen walked back into camp, Valin immediately asked a spread of questions, "Why were you gone so long? Was there any trouble? What happened out there?"

Jacen replied "Our guide was having a philosophical crisis. We had a long debate."

"His ears are still there, right Jacen?" Malinza's tone overflowed with her biting sense of humor. The orphan had technically been raised by her aunt, but by her twelfth birthday, any statement regarding mentioning her name and the word "Custody" usually meant she was in minor legal trouble again. It took a Ssi-Ruuk invasion, the death of her first boyfriend, and Jaina's influence to redeem the hotheaded Bakuran.

"I am happy to report Czuul Rapuung received no additional mutilations as a result of this debate." _Yun-Harla, you are in deep trouble for telling those two that I've talked people's ears off_ Jacen mused darkly.

"Malinza, that was cruel." Tenel Ka was not happy with Malinza for calling the love of her life a bore. "Please apologize to him, or we will be forced to take disciplinary action." She used the royal "We" deliberately, implying that the revenge, while not cruel, might be a little on the unusual end. Jaina had taught her well the value of a well-timed prank.

"Saw-ree!" Malinza practically sneered the apology.

"Insufficient." Tenel Ka's tone would be considered icy by those unfamiliar with her subtleties when emotionally shielded, to those lucky few, it positively screamed incoming prank. "You must bring us the contents of the blue box on Jacen's Suubatar."

"As you wish, milady." Malinza's tone dripped with her acidic sarcasm. She sauntered to the location the box was in and opened it, and, _SPLUT_ a mass of shaving cream hit her in the face.


End file.
